Box Score

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – No. 5 Saint John's football scored touchdowns on its first seven offensive possessions en route to a 49-0 shutout of Concordia on Saturday, Oct. 2, in Moorhead.

The Johnnies (4-0, 2-0 MIAC) rolled to 518 yards of offense, including 349 and a 42-0 lead in the first half, and held the Cobbers (1-3, 0-2 MIAC) to nearly half of their average offensive output (215 yards, averaged 425.3 per game).

Sophomore quarterback Aaron Syverson (Minnetonka, Minn.) played the first half and finished 20 of 24 passing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed for a 2-yard touchdown.

SJU's defense held Concordia, which entered the contest ninth in NCAA Division III in passing offense (345.0 ypg.), to 163 yards through the air. The Johnnies totaled eight tackles for a loss and two interceptions.

Three With 80+
Three Johnnies recorded 80 receiving yards or more on the afternoon. Senior wide receiver Ravi Alston (Lake Elsinore, Calif./Vista Murrieta), the reigning MIAC Offensive Player of the Week, caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. Junior tight end Alex Larson (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) posted six receptions for 91 yards and a score, while sophomore wideout Jimmy Buck (Orono, Minn.) recorded his second multi-touchdown game of the season with five catches for 85 yards and two scores. The three receivers have combined for 58 catches, 873 yards and 10 touchdowns through the first four games.



Slowing Dubois
Concordia quarterback Tanner Dubois entered the game averaging the third-most yards of total offense per contest, 368.0 (125 yards rushing, 979 passing), but was held to 33 yards on the ground and 149 yards through the air Saturday afternoon.

Busy Backers
Senior linebacker Kyle Kornovich (Rogers, Minn.) and junior linebacker Erik Bjork (Mahtomedi, Minn.) led SJU with nine and eight tackles, respectively. The duo combined for 10 solo stops and 2.5 tackles for loss.

First INT's
Senior defensive lineman Collin Franz (Otsego, Minn./Rogers) and junior linebacker Octavius Wilson Jr. (St. Paul, Minn./Hill-Murray) collected their first collegiate interceptions in the win. Franz earned the rare pick for a defensive lineman with 6:25 left in the first half, while Wilson snagged his first turnover early in the fourth.

Defensive Shutout
The shutout is the 184th in school history, the 15th in 88 games under the direction of head coach Gary Fasching '81 and the 67th with defensive coordinator Jerry Haugen '76 on staff. 

MIAC Win No. 50
Saturday's road win was the 50th for Fasching in conference play. He now touts a 50-8 MIAC record (.862) and needs 312 more league wins to catch the legendary John Gagliardi (362-99-9 conference record).

Scoring Margin
The 49-point margin tied the series' record set by SJU in 1976 (49-0 in Collegeville). The shutout was the first for the Johnnies against the Cobbers since 1998 (21-0 in Moorhead).

Series Improvement
SJU is now 47-34-6 (.575) all-time against Concordia, including a 20-18-1 record in Moorhead. The Johnnies are now 11-1-1 against CC in the last 13 meetings in Moorhead.

Coming Home for Homecoming
The Johnnies play host to Augsburg for Homecoming next Saturday, Oct. 9. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. in Clemens Stadium.